


if time is worth its weight in gold

by Capitola



Series: Brenxattos Fluff [1]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Curtain Fic, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Future Fic, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:28:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28328253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Capitola/pseuds/Capitola
Summary: Caleb stills at the question, and a blush creeps into his cheeks. Yeza begins mentally cataloging everything that could be wrong with their relationship, with the Mighty Nein, what international incident his partners could have caused this time, and the panic must show in his face, because Caleb’s expression immediately changes to comforting.“It’s good news,” Caleb says, quickly. “But it’s a conversation for all three of us.”
Relationships: Luc Brenatto & Yeza Brenatto & Nott | Veth Brenatto & Caleb Widogast, Yeza Brenatto/Nott | Veth Brenatto/Caleb Widogast
Series: Brenxattos Fluff [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2127927
Comments: 12
Kudos: 38
Collections: Critmas Exchange 2020





	if time is worth its weight in gold

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HaplessDungeonMaster](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HaplessDungeonMaster/gifts).



> Merry Critmas, HaplessDungeonMaster! I enjoyed the chance to write about these four as a happy family.
> 
> Title is from Tessa Violet's "Spend Some Time."

The conversation comes up over dishes.

Veth had cooked, after she and Caleb had burst in this afternoon, home from their latest adventure with souvenirs _and_ groceries from Rosohna, so it fell to Caleb and Yeza to do the washing up. Yeza is washing, his wrists covered in soapy water, and Caleb is drying, toweling off each dish so gently you would think they were much more expensive and delicate than they actually are. Yeza used to harbor a vague notion that wizards were the sort who bypassed all housework with light flicks of the wrist, but if that is the case, Caleb is the exception to the rule. Not that he _never_ takes shortcuts, but he seems to truly enjoy devoting himself to a task and taking great care with it. It’s an idiosyncrasy that Yeza has grown fond of.

“When will you be heading out again?” Yeza asks, as he passes off a salad bowl to Caleb. He and Veth sometimes only stay for a day or so, sometimes weeks, and once for as long as a month, but usually they have their next job or destination already in mind before they get home. Veth thrives on the constant change, something Yeza never knew about her until she came back from the dead for him, bringing with her their new life and all its colorful characters, Caleb foremost among them.

To his surprise, Caleb stills at the question, his hand holding the bowl frozen in place for a moment, and a blush creeps into his cheeks. Yeza begins mentally cataloging everything that could be wrong with their relationship, with the Mighty Nein, what international incident his partners could have caused this time, and the panic must show in his face, because Caleb’s expression immediately changes to comforting.

“It’s good news,” Caleb says, quickly. “But it’s a conversation for all three of us.” His eyes flick towards the living room, where it sounds as though Luc is about halfway through recounting to his mother everything that has happened at school in the last week. Like Veth, Luc’s voice grows louder and louder the longer he talks on. Caleb turns back to Yeza, and squeezes Yeza’s soapy hand in his.

“Alright,” Yeza says, patiently, turning back to the dishes. “Tell me about that demilich again, I know you were leaving some things out because we were eating.” And because of Luc, though between Veth’s stories and the Zemnian children’s tales Caleb swears up and down his mother was telling _him_ from his earliest babyhood, there is very little that seems to scare Luc anymore.

Yeza is patient, has always been patient, as a middle child and an alchemist and a father he’s always had to be. But that evening his mind buzzes with anticipation as they finish the dishes, as Luc finishes filling in Veth and Caleb on _all_ the news in Nicodranas that a six-year-old boy can observe, as they put Luc to bed and, finally, sit down in the living room.

“Now you have to tell me what’s had Caleb so tight-lipped,” Yeza says, affably, looking to his wife. “Is it that serious, where you’re headed next?”

A glance passes between Veth and Caleb, and they both smile. “We haven’t got anything lined up next,” Veth says, speaking quickly, the way she does when she’s nervous. “We were thinking this time we might be staying.” A pause follows, the three of them taking in the weight of the change in the phrase.

“Staying?” Yeza says, after a moment, almost trying the word out.

“Staying,” Veth giggles.

It’s something they’ve all talked about, of course, in vague, uncertain, hopeful terms, with increasing frequency. They missed each other something dearly when they were apart, and even though the weeks had turned into months had turned into nearly two years of this, they’ve talked about plans. They’ve talked about setting up a new apothecary, about Caleb settling in to write spells and tutor students, about more children...

A thought strikes Yeza and he voices it. “You’re not, ah —”

“No!” Veth says, before he can finist. “I mean.” She sighs. “I did — I thought I might be, week before last, but it was just a stomach bug. But it did get me thinking, and we talked about it, and we didn’t have anything obvious to do next and… and it seems like the right time.”

Yeza looks to Caleb. “And you’re, you’re good with this?”

Caleb nods, smiles. “I’ve looked forward to this as much as you have.”

Yeza has looked forward to this, hasn’t he, this next phase of their lives, of their relationship. Of opening up a shop again, of sharing parenting more fully with Veth and Caleb, of making new friends and new daily routines. They’ve had a good run of things so far, but this, this is exciting.

“Have you talked about it? With the others?”

They shake their heads. “We didn’t want to say anything until we’d talked to you,” Caleb says, and Yeza is glad of that.

“It’ll be a good push, _I_ think,” Veth says, with authority. “They could all use a little something new.”

“Mmm.” Yeza hopes it’s well-received, he knows how clingy the others can be if they put their minds to it. “As long as nobody sets up camp in the living room.”

“I think they can be a little more mature than that,” Caleb says, though he does not sound so sure. “Speaking of camp, we should finally think about a new bed.”

It is a good idea. Ever since Yeza and Veth and Caleb had worked things out, after the Brenattos’ marriage had come to encompass Caleb as well and they started sleeping in the same bed, they’ve made do with a footstool at the end of the bed for his feet, and they do have to be rather cozy for all three of them to fit. They’re around so infrequently that it’s usually not an issue, especially not when they have the tower, but it will be something to think about with a more permanent arrangement. Something long, perhaps, to accommodate Caleb’s height, low to the ground, for better ease on Yeza and Veth’s knees, and wide enough that none of them are ever in danger of falling out, even on the rare nights when Luc has a nightmare and crawls in as well.

“We can do that in the morning,” Veth says, impatiently. “We’ve certainly made do this long. Now,” and she claps her hands lightly, a mischievous gleam in her eye, “what’s a lady have to do around here to find a gentleman to take her to bed?”

“Ask,” Yeza says, at the same time Caleb says, “Ask nicely.” They laugh at that then, the three of them, and Yeza marvels at how the mood has changed, a subtle shift just from the knowledge that they would all be together, properly, from now on. It’s a good feeling.

“Will you kiss me?” She says to Yeza, and he does. She turns to Caleb. “Will you kiss me, _sir_?”

They all laugh at that too, and make their way up the stairs as a mix of kisses and quiet laughter.

Luc barrels into their room first thing in the morning with Nugget at his heels, as he often does when Caleb and Veth are home. He launches himself onto the foot of the bed, only barely missing Caleb’s knees.

“Can we go to the beach? Or the market? Or, or out for breakfast or, or,” and Luc pauses for a moment, stalled only by the sheer possibility of adventures available that day.

“What _time_ is it?” Yeza groans, blinking as he fumbles around on the nightstand for his glasses.

“Two minutes past six,” Caleb responds, almost automatically.

“When are you leaving?” Luc asks, suddenly, looking from Caleb to Veth. Yeza is still finding his glasses when Veth answers.

“We’re not leaving.” She’s smiling, like she’s been looking forward to this conversation, even if not at this hour of the morning.

“Not at _all_?”

“Nope. We’re staying home.”

Luc weighs that one a moment. “Like, _forever_?”

“Well, I’m sure we’ll all want to go other places eventually. But we’re not taking this show back on the road. We’re gonna stay here, and be with you and Dad every day. How’s that sound?”

Luc considers this too. “Can we still go somewhere _today_?”

“Yes, if you give us all another half hour to sleep in.” Some invisible battle of wills passes between mother and son in that moment, and Luc relents.

“Okaaaay,” he says, trying and not quite managing to roll his eyes as he leaves, leaving his parents a little extra time to sleep on the first day of the rest of their lives.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to [flammablehat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/flammablehat) for reading over this. 
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated <3 You can also find me on [tumblr](https://capitola.tumblr.com/) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/knitinerant).


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